Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-09-11
W. lei. Taylor
405, lO7 Houstou and iOl Yain Street.


amendment the bill made the lease abso-
lutte of all lands, regardless Of class or
quality, during the term of lease, aud you
favored the bin in that shape. Now, did
you favor Or oppose the above amend
ment? 1t is also well known fact that
some of the largest Cattlemen in the state
lowered about the Legislature like
vultures about dead carcass, while this
bill was under consideration, vigorously
| lobbying for its passage, and
! they opposed my amendment,
| You now take shelter behind
! the above feature Of the law, for which l
should properly have credit, as 6 justif-
cation for your acts in having lands IN
| demand for settlement, and arraign me
! for 'qabOring so persistentlY to mar, mu-
! tilste and defeat the law while it wss be-
ing framed"
note your spoIogy that you "did not
make the law" and that 1t is simply your
| "painful duty TO execute it," It is true
| you did not make the law, but you Will
! doubtless admit that you exerted your in
! huence to secure its passage, and anyone
who knows anything Of the workings Of g
! Texas Legislature, knows how hard
it is to defeat the commissioner
when he sets to work to secure the pas
! sage or defeat Of g land bill. l, in COM
mon with an interested public, an glad
TO learn that you are doing all you can 10
| secure speedy and correct classification
! and valuation Of these lands. Your re-
cent visit to the Panhandle is hailed by
/ our people as the dawn of brighter day
| Tor them, and ii is believed that you have
seen and learned enough to induce you
! to clasp hands with US in trying to secure
an early settlement OF this country IN
preference to leasing it out 20 few cap
italists for perpetual stock ranch.
You mistake the meaning Of
my letter when you say
that you 'must decline 20 give NE the as
sursnce demanded, that actual settlers be
allowed 70 purchase their lands at the
minimum price fixed by the law" Imade
10 such demsnd. l only suggested that
"hundreds OF coed citiZenb have settled
upon school land in the Panhandle and
other portions OF this representative dis
trict, expecting to be permitted to pur-
chase the same from the state ct the mini
mum prices fixed by the law" and that
"they have bona tide settled upon the
land and ought to be allowed
to purchase it st the minimum
/
gestlon are based upon the followin Q
facts and circumstances: great many
of these settlers went upon their land
two, three and four years ago, some as
: long as five and six years ago. At that
time lands were nothing like as valuable
as at present, Scores Of these people
have made application to buy and ten
dered the money, but the lands being
watered, the land board refused to &C.
: cept their applications. Even now you
: Can scarcely find an owner OF unim-
proved land in this country holding it g.
: more than the minimum price fixed by
: the law for land of the same quality.
} Admitting, for the sake of argument
: that values have increased beyond The
/ states minimum prices because OF tht
rapid settlement Of the country, are
; these settlers, the vanguard of CiviliZS'
, ton, VINO have have stood the brupt o.
I frontier life, to be charged Up with thi!
, difference in values, which is lsrgely dut
: to their efforts? This same law whicl
r you are executing makes this generou:
: proviso for the csttlemen: "That an.
2 person or persons who have heretofore
: leased lands from this state at price
, fixed by the land board and whose lease
] are not yet expired, shall hav
e their rental for the remainde
i of their unexpired term reduced
4 to the prices charged under this bill TO
I the lease of similar lands" believ
8 you favored the passage of this bill. Wh